Got into D3 beta - and it's not bad at all. I'm not liking the streamlined skill system, as predicted, but it's too soon to speak about its impact long-term. In a way, it's just a streamlined respec system - and respec is (unfortunately) something that's here to stay.

Personally, I never liked the concept of respecs in any game - but I concede that in MMOs that demand such a ridiculous amount of grinding, it's probably a necessary evil.

But in a game like D3, which is of a much smaller scope - I find it ruins the strategic layer and the fun of returning to the game after a while, to try a new approach to any given character. I mean, in D3 - there will never, ever, be a reason to replay the game with the same class (non-hardcore).

Maybe I'm weird, in that I love to explore various builds and replaying with the same class (often months or years down the line). To me, it's entertainment - not a grind.

With that complaint out of the way, I really like what I'm seeing. It's incredibly polished - but that's no surprise. It looks and sounds VERY good - and it has plenty of that hack/slash action we all know and love.

The crafting system looks to be an alternate way to achieve the same thing as the old gambling system did, which is a bit of a shame. But at least it's a cheaper way to have a better chance at getting some nice loot. But I would have preferred more customization.

Class abilities look great and feel great. Seems to be a really nice balance of loot drops so far. Nice atmosphere and quality voice-acting - if a bit over-the-top at times.

Overall, I'm definitely going to buy this upon release. But it will be a hard copy at a local retailer. I'm not going to give Blizzard 60 euros. Not because the game isn't worth it, but because it's completely unnecessary of them to milk their audience in this way. This is one game that would generate endless millions - almost regardless of pricing. It's tasteless to set it that high.